1

Hair of the dog that bit ya.

When falling down large distances, the trick is: Don't stop.

2 Starts are up in Wisconsin, for some reason.

Nationwide, how many existing houses are empty or in foreclosure?

3

IOW, it was probably a total waste of our money.

FIFY

4 It's never the fall that kills you.

It's the short stop at the end.

5 Just throw yourself at the ground and miss. Easy.

6 And this is all Bush's Fault HOW?

7 Nationwide, how many existing houses are empty or in foreclosure?

In FL, about 20-25% of the mortgages could be foreclosed on (i.e., they're in trouble the bank just hasn't processed them yet)

8 As the government's tax incentives for homebuyers expired, new home building dropped 10 percent to a seasonally POLITICALLY adjusted annual rate of 593,000 units, the lowest level since December, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday...

Had to fix that for them

9 ^{New York hotel pioneers birth tourism}

10 No, no, no.

It worked perfectly and wasn't a waste!

Obamao wants to redistribute wealth, and the stimulus did just that!

And as more and more people fall into foreclosure, MORE wealth will be redistributed.

Pretty soon, everyone will be completely dependent on the government.

You see? Perfect!

(speaking as one who's house was foreclosed on and who's wealth was so redistributed that he had to leave the country and live somewhere else)

11 I'm an architect, there is very little work, and it's at the point where very reputable builders are coming through the door daily asking if there is ANYTHING they can bid on.

12 There's another foreclosure sale in my building. "6 And this is all Bush's Fault HOW?" Isn't it obvious? And if I have to explain it, that means you are a racist, or a Teabagger terrorist. Or something. But never, ever blame Barky. No, we can't do that.

13 Did i read it here or somewhere else that Obama is "Icarus descending". That was cute, but I think he's doing it all on purpose.

14 pull my finger

15
Barky is not responsible for any event outside his sphere of influence.  All of the worlds problems rest with George Bush and that big cocked bastard Dick Cheney. 

PS - You never thanked me Cheney.

16 I'm holding my breath, waiting to see if our renters are going to stay or not. At this point, I don't even know whether I'd rather keep renting it or sell it for whatever we can get. Not that I may actually have any choice in the matter.

17 Band-Aid on a sucking chest wound. It was a success though, it got some politicians positive press for a while, which was all it was really intended to do.

18 Very nice building next door, new in 2006, nothing sold for less than 600K back then... Went as high as about 775K for best units. Today, someone put a unit on the block for under 400K.

19 Unexpected!   We need a Homes for Clunkers Stimulus Package Now!

20

Look - this is building related, but it is also "Man Caused Disaster" related and America's response to it.  This is not being reported anywhere and it won't be but we should be aware of it, imo, because we are surrendering to those who wish to oppress us - and I don't mean Barry and team.

Read it if you want: http://tinyurl.com/2btvrmq

 

21

Heh.  If you think things cratered now, just wait until Bush's Tax Cuts expire.

 

We're talking a Hindenburg Crashes into the Titanic Just as the Asteroid Strikes Scenario.

 

 

22 Birth tourism isn't new. 

Officially, the 19-year-old had come on her second vacation to the United States in three years.

Unofficially, the pregnant woman had traveled 4,600 miles to ensure her baby would be born an American.

Charging $30k for it might be, though.

23 Obamashacks are up. unfortunately for contractors they only require cardboard and newspapers as building materials.

24 The coming (August) expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts should provide extra velocity to the Obama Disaster Asteroid, and a even deeper crater.  A real-life disaster movie with a cast of millions.

25 PA, I love you man.

The home mortgage tax credit, like cash for clunkers, was never meant to stimulate the economy. Or to aid poor sheeple like us. The same cliff dive in auto sales occurred after clunkers got shelved.

Those programs were designed to jumpstart and save the banking system. Debt instruments, loans, allow banks to book new business, repair leaking balance sheets, and book new business. To loan fractionally- 9x deposits.

They dangle these carrots at the sheep and they fall for it. In 3 months, I will book a far better mortgage rate that will save me far more than a measly 8 grand and allow me to buy a little bigger house. Still waiting to pull the trigger. Steady now.

26

We're talking a Hindenburg Crashes into the Titanic Just as the Asteroid Strikes Scenario.

 Posted by: Bluebell

 

During that time of the month, while involuntarily watching a "Helen Thomas gone Wild' video, narrated by Perez Hilton. In the rain.

27 This news came out yesterday, and yet the Dow still soared. It made no fricking sense. It sill doesn't. If even Cramer, the hysterical two-year-old of the financial world, gets it, then everyone should get it -- this so-called "rally" is based on pure bullshit.

28

 

re: the hotel

What's the big whoop?

Let's instead focus like laser beams on fiscal issues.

29

We're talking a Hindenburg Crashes into the Titanic Just as the Asteroid Strikes Scenario.

 Makes the envirofacist film Day after Tomorrow look mild.

So weird that this is playing out like an Ayn Rand novel written in '57. It's almost possible to identify the govt players and scientists.

30 I've been on an ass kicking streak for a week now!

Let me be clear: As soon as I find some builders and contractors to talk to, so I know who needs an ass kicking--I'll fix this.

I'm doing such a good job of ass kicking, I may need to appoint an ass kicking czar.

So I can go golfing again.

And kick ass on the golf course . . . .

31 This news came out yesterday, and yet the Dow still soared. It made no fricking sense. It sill doesn't. If even Cramer, the hysterical two-year-old of the financial world, gets it, then everyone should get it -- this so-called "rally" is based on pure bullshit.

Posted by: Monty

 

Players invested in the status quo? Short term profit takers?

32

If, instead of the feds trying everything to "help" people with their mortgages, the housing market had been allowed to crater, the rebound would have started immediately.  Our government doesn't seem to understand that while a housing bubble helps those who own homes, and especially speculators who treat homes as a commodity, it often prices first-time home buyers out of the market.  And I own a home, so it's not like this philosophy is going to increase my bottom line.  But also, if instead of losing a hundred thousand off my home value it has been one hundred fifty, really, it makes no difference.  I'm still living here.  Granted, we're not ever close to being "upside down" but even those people would be better off just getting out and trying over again with much lower housing costs.   

Houses and land have intrinsic value and utility.  It's not like a securities panic or run on the bank, during which times people start thinking their holdings (paper with 'value') might be worth nothing.  There simply isn't a scenario where people start thinking houses are worthless numbers on paper.      

It's the bandaid theory of economics, rip the damn thing off quickly and get it over with.  Keeping someone temporarily in a house they will sooner or later lose isn't really doing them much of a favor.  But it does preclude getting someone in at a lesser price who can afford the house.  And that's how recoveries start.   

 

33

The coming (August) expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts should provide extra velocity to the Obama Disaster Asteroid, and a even deeper crater.  A real-life disaster movie with a cast of millions.

August?

I thought the tax cuts expire January 1, 2011 if I am not mistaken.

I am almost positive.

I bet stocks drop 10% in late decemeber

34 Players invested in the status quo? Short term profit takers? Short-covering mixed with herd behavior, is my guess. Industrials (particularly auto makers) are perking up, but the last I looked, the auto sector was mainly owned by...the government. Which means an "uptick" is actually a tax-funded subsidy. This market is fucking stupid. If the fundamentals don't turn around by the end of the year, and I suspect they won't, I'm getting the fuck out. It's not just a rigged game; it's a busted game as well.

35

 

btw, bonus points for mentioning Ragnarok.

Vikings, fuckyeah!

36 Players invested in the status quo? Short term profit takers?

Bait.

37 The coming (August) expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts should provide extra velocity to the Obama Disaster Asteroid, and a even deeper crater. A real-life disaster movie with a cast of millions. Dude, don't be a rube. You like totally forgot us, and we're next in line.

38 Gee, just like "Cash for Clunkers".  Can't wait to see the results from the 'Appliances Rebates'.  Anyone else seeing a pattern here?

39 LOGISTICS!!!11!!!11!!!

40 Gee, just like "Cash for Clunkers". Can't wait to see the results from the 'Appliances Rebates'. Anyone else seeing a pattern here? Yes, but somehow I don't foresee Barry sponsoring a "Financing for Firearms" subsidy program. I might have gotten behind that one.

41

All your houses are belong to us.

 

42 I'd like to plunge into some oily thongs, IYKWIM.

43 in completely unrelated news, Fannie and Freddie delisted from the NYSE today.

44 If it takes The Big Fat White Guy from New Jersey to help pitiful moderates and independents  understand simple common-sense Conservatism then lets get him out of New Jersey and on the national stage!

This way the Arctic Fox can return to her life, free from idiot-boxed moderates and independents who  believe the shit coming out of Jon Stewart idiot canal then speak as if their shit is above it all.

45 You know, the headline on this thread might be improved with a little word order inversion... "Building Crater Homes" The Hole-In-Chief is making sure we all live in holes. Much greener.

46 BREAKING NEWS!!!!!


Just off the wire at AP.

BP officials have succesfully stopped the gulf oil leak.  Engineers report that they succesfully inserted Tipper's old wedding band in the damaged shutoff valve.  The well immediately stopped putting out.

47

The take away here is that this free housing stimulus money was nothing more than a temporary prop, a phone book wedged under a wobbly table with a busted leg, it had no residual follow on effects. IOW, it was probably a total waste of our money.

 

BINGO!!11!!  Add to that cash for clunkers, cash for appliances and coming to your neighborhood soon, cash for caulkers.  Oh, and don't forget extending unemployment benefits to almost 2 years and raising minimum wage rates.  All these fabulous programs brought to you courtesy of the Democrat Party!

48 I hope Rush talks about his wedding today.

49

Heh!  Rush saying he felt like he was watching the last episode of Lost last night as he watched Oblahblah's speech.

50

BINGO!!11!!  Add to that cash for clunkers, cash for appliances and coming to your neighborhood soon, cash for caulkers.  Oh, and don't forget extending unemployment benefits to almost 2 years and raising minimum wage rates.  All these fabulous programs brought to you courtesy of the Democrat Party!

Posted by: runningrn

 

After last night's post about Mitch Daniels, I realized the solution to both problems. We'll rename the ecoonomy Terri Schiavo. They'll  hasten its' death then, instead of heroic measures of artificial life support. Then a real recorvery can begin.

 

I hope.

51 I wanted to get gubmint financing for my residential refrigerator box, but the bastards wouldn't write me a permit. They said I had to put R-12 insulation into the corrugated cardboard, and have the ink on the box tested for lead paint.

52

The Hole-In-Chief is making sure we all live in holes. Much greener

As long as they ain't black, everything will be hunky dory!

53

OT - BP related

I said this in a comment the other day that Barry would push BP so far that they would raise their middle finger and tell him. "Here!  Take your $75 million."

That could very well happen: http://tinyurl.com/2dk9opn

All that he will be left with would be to seize the company, which would be unconstitutional, but for this president, not unprecedented.

54 10 ^{New York hotel pioneers birth tourism}

Posted by: Mjim at June 16, 2010 11:25 AM (mMdWG)

I hate this fucking state.

55

I hope Rush talks about his wedding today.

 

Nope, it's about "the kids".

56 Rush will come down from his sugar high when Katherine starts saying pick that up, don't do that, come here, don't sit there, change the channel etc. then he will get back to business.

57

Is there a cash for drunkards program?

I'm gonna need it.

 

58

All that he will be left with would be to seize the company, which would be unconstitutional, but for this president, not unprecedented.

 

Our titaniumpot dictator won't let a small thing like an old, yellowed piece of paper with antiquated words and foreign, outdated ideas stand in his way.  Hope and Change Baby!

59

OT

This is the first article I've ever read in Playboy. Seriously. That's because every article I've ever seen in Playboy was garbage. This one was interesting.

60 Hussein the Plumber: there's a breaking headline on that PMSNBC story you linked to the effect that BP is agreeing to a $20 billion escrow. That is some serious coin. I wonder if BP is going to be able to pay a dividend *this year* much less this quarter, if this is true. I wonder if the escrow account will have to be funded all at once, or in phases.

61 OT: CNBC quoting NYT headline BP will escrow $20 billion.

62

This is the first article I've ever read in Playboy. Seriously. That's because every article I've ever seen in Playboy was garbage. This one was interesting.

Posted by: maddogg

 

Monty now has the theme for the next literary thread.

63 It's a trap, BP is under the covers with these fucktards smelling farts.

64 More OT: the pay czar (Feinberg) will be in charge of BP's escrow fund.

65 So, the free advice I heard about joining an apprentice program for one of the building trades might not be such a good idea?

66 Posted by: Hussein the Plumber at June 16, 2010 12:11 PM (r1h5M)

BP has already given in and said they are putting 20 billion in escrow.  Kenneth Feinberg (the government pay-master) is said to have been appointed to oversee the account.

It makes me laugh hysterically that the retards at BP think this 20 billion will be the end of it.  They are idiots.  Of course, having tried to force Crap&Trade on this nation, I hope that BP goes down the tubes with all of their enviro-buddies, but I hate that they are setting terrible precedent for other private company/government interactions.  Oh well.  Our system has been trashed beyond repair, anyway.

67 Hmmm. BP has been donating heavily to Obama and his cronies. BP has been pushing the cap and tax garbage that would set them up nicely. Now BP does exactly what the Manufactured Messiah wanted them to do (billions in escrow). Wanna bet that any and all claims will be ties to that and we'll later hear of a deal killing any further claims against BP? And any claimants must go through Obama to get their money?

68

" That's because every article I've ever seen in Playboy was garbage."

They had a really good article on the Navy SEALs a few years ago. Very interesting.

69 I'm trying to figure out why there are any new home starts.  Well, wait, it would be regional of course as people start fleeing to lower tax states.  But even then, I would be shocked if there wasn't a substantial inventory in place. 

Gloom, despair, etc.

70 70 More OT: the pay czar (Feinberg) will be in charge of BP's escrow fund.

Posted by: Retread at June 16, 2010 12:18 PM (k5blj)

Yeeesh...this has cluster fuck and shenannigans written all over it.

Kinda like FEMA and the Katrina debit cards.

 

71 i know quite a few people who went out to buy a house or an apartment, thinking they were eligible for the first time home buyer credit, since they were first time home buyers, only to find out that they either "made too much money" or there was some other impediment.  Many just gave up, bought the property and stopped fighting for the credit.  Now, I'm getting this in many cases second and third hand but really it seems more people were not eligible for this credit than were eligible.  One of my friends today is in a total tizzy as she is concerned now that she bought her property at too high a price because of the home buyer credit which she didn't even get. 

I was like "well you have a place to live, a tax deduction for now and you aren't just collecting a pile of rent receipts and paying for someone else's property"...she calmed down somewhat but she thinks she may have overpaid by more than a hundred grand for a one bedroom apartment.

72 Not that anyone at the RNC is probably thinking. that far ahead.

You put that period in three words too late.  I FIFY. 

73

SIL #2 was surprised when a real estate agent came and plunked a "For Sale" sign in the front yard of the house he's renting last Saturday. Seems his landlord hasn't paid the mortgage since January while he's paid rent all that time. I told him if it were me, I wouldn't pay another cent in rent, then I'd sue him when I have to move.

74

Daddy,

  Why are the Homes on this street empty and what's a 'foreclosue' sale?

75

This news came out yesterday, and yet the Dow still soared. It made no fricking sense. It sill doesn't. If even Cramer, the hysterical two-year-old of the financial world, gets it, then everyone should get it -- this so-called "rally" is based on pure bullshit.

Three words: Bear Rally Trap.

Given that what stock I do have is in my battered IRA and 401K, what should I do? Switch to Bonds and cash out now? Or will the Obamunists cause such inflation that that will be horrid too?

1930's or 1970's--that is the question with the Obamunist.

76

" That's because every article I've ever seen in Playboy was garbage."

Fuck em' I canceled my 10yr old subscribtion during the height of Bush derangement syndrome. Now I only use hardcore midget and ginger/scandi pron.

 

 

77

 Posted by: dananjcon at June 16, 2010 12:30 PM (pr+up)

rumor has it that the victoria's secret catalog is the new "playboy"....

have never seen playboy so I wouldn't know..

78 I still wear my bull cuff links to work, though....

79 have never seen playboy so I wouldn't know.. Yeah, I used to use that one on my mom. She never bought it either.

80 Monty, truly I have never seen playboy.  No guy I've ever dated has even had a copy that I could look at.  I've seen the cover, but never the magazine.  I'm not the type to go to the adult section of the little store that has this stuff, I'd be too embarrassed.

81 Will we ever be able to return to the basics of our economy? It seems that all we're trying to do is try to make businesses out of things that were formerly on the fringes of economic society, so to speak, like gambling, filmmaking, and legalizing pot. All the "traditional" ways of making money, like actually making things instead of flipping burgers, have mysteriously vanished.

82 The house that we are renting is owned by a home building company. They are cutting their losses and selling our home. Since we can't afford to buy at the moment, we are out after renting for only a year. We are especially bitter since we were promised partial equity for two years towards either buying this home or buying another with the builders. 

It's also difficult because DH was out of a job for several months this year due to his previous employer screwing him out of his disability payments and then dropping him. We don't have a lot of extra cash for moving floating around right now.

83  No guy I've ever dated has even had a copy that I could look at.  I've seen the cover, but never the magazine.  I'm not the type to go to the adult section of the little store that has this stuff, I'd be too embarrassed.

Posted by: curious

 

Try dating one of us. You'll be able to wallpaper entire rooms

84

Monty, truly I have never seen playboy.  No guy I've ever dated has even had a copy that I could look at.  I've seen the cover, but never the magazine.  I'm not the type to go to the adult section of the little store that has this stuff, I'd be too embarrassed.

Playboy is actually tame and rather conservative for such mags. No girl on girl, no wackos writing in with stories that are either (1) obviously made up or (2) you hope they are, because there are a lot of sick people out in TVLand. No odd piercings (I haven't seen issues lately, that may have changed?). No "toys" (I haven't seen issues lately, that may have changed too?).

85 have never seen playboy so I wouldn't know..

Yeah, I used to use that one on my mom. She never bought it either.

Posted by: Monty at June 16, 2010 12:35 PM (O3eFQ)

Will the "adventures of Playboy" be on the Sunday book thread?

86

Posted by: tjyjc at June 16, 2010 12:39 PM (Se+rk)

the sentient spammers are back...very spooky.

87 I'm not the type to go to the adult section of the little store that has this stuff, I'd be too embarrassed.

They sell it at Barnes and Noble (or they did ~12 years ago, when I bought the issue with the article about the X-Files...the centerfold was triplets).

Story.  Stickin' to it.

88

rumor has it that the victoria's secret catalog is the new "playboy"....

I don't know about that.  Once they started airbrushing the interesting stuff out of their catalog photos in 1994 or so, I dropped my efforts to remain on their mailing list.

I thumbed through a catalog my wife got a few months ago, and the pictures are still retouched.

89

No guy I've ever dated has even had a copy that I could look at. 

Oh, they did. Just not where you saw them.

At any rate, best chance is probably gone now.

There is this new thing called the internet.... and it's free.

90

Doh.

Damn orange sockpuppet.

91 One of my friends today is in a total tizzy as she is concerned now that she bought her property at too high a price because of the home buyer credit which she didn't even get.

I have a friend that I managed to talk out of buying now.  He said he wanted to take advantage of low rates.  I advised him to wait two years until after the Option-ARM 2011-2012 wave.  I told him prices were going to plummet.  I said buy precious metals and live with your parents or rent.

He said he ran my advice past some real estate friends.  These friends all thought the advice was crazy.  I told him these friends have are sitting at the poker table with you waiting to take your chips.

He's going to wait.  Earn income.  Convert half of it to precious metals.  Then invest whatever you can in blue chip stocks that have actual assets that are convertible for the new bad economy.

I don't see any other way out.

92 We just burned a bunch of your money to show you that we care.  You're welcome!